From
Wayne Coffey (hat-tip to
Was Watching):
"I am worried about my hitting, but not that much," Montero says in front of his locker in the PNC Field clubhouse. Not even five minutes later, he says, "I'm not upset that I'm not hitting. I'm still the same guy ... trying to hit the ball hard every single time."
..."I have been working every single day in the cage," Jesus Montero says. "This is baseball; slumps will happen. I am working really hard to get out of it."
Yankees senior VP of baseball operations Mark Newman, and SWB manager Butch Wynegar don't seem too concerned either:
"In a lot of ways it's good for young players to hit these speed bumps, because this business is full of them, and life is full of them," says Mark Newman,... "He's one of the better young hitters we've had in our system since I've been here (22 years). I am confident that he will hit. Our baseball field personnel - the coaches and coordinators - think he's going to hit. You can't find anyone in our organization who doesn't think he's going to be a really good player."
..."He's got the ability, no doubt," Wynegar says. "He's got quick hands. He's got power. Now he just needs consistency in his approach. There are a lot of guys who know how to pitch in this league. He just hasn't made the adjustments he needs to make."
... "If he tastes a little failure here, learning how to grind it out can help him get to the big leagues," Wynegar says.
Overall I believe the Yankees are pretty content with what they have in Montero. Earlier today,
Joel Sherman mentioned in his article about the Yankees chances of landing Cliff Lee, that the Yanks feel he's improved a lot behind the plate. He also had this quote from a veteran scout
“His body looks better, leaner, and he is moving better and quicker behind the plate. He also is throwing much better. He has shown indications he can catch.”
He's 20-years old, he's playing in Triple-A, and like Montero said above, slumps are going to happen. It's really no big deal and I'm glad to see the Yankees aren't too concerned either.
